Brothers Can Get Jealous Too
by BAHBEEPBO
Summary: JJ and Spence have been nothing more than brother and sister, but after the wedding, Spence seems to trust Blake more, which leaves JJ wondering what on earth happened to them. *Update* Includes my take of how the Replicator would have done his thing. :)
1. Prologue

Reid tossed uncomfortably in his sleep.

At exactly 5:07:18 in the morning, he jerks awake.

He hasn't been able to sleep for more than 1 hour 3 minutes and 17 seconds after – well, after what happened.

He sits up and reaches for his phone. Instinctively, he dials JJ's number, but he hangs up almost immediately. He flips through his contacts and calls Blake instead.

Safe to say, he hasn't talked to JJ for a while.

He didn't know whether it was his fault or hers, but he knew each and every event that led up to their invisible, unspoken, 'cold war'. He felt bad for it, of course he did, it was JJ, but at the same time, he wasn't able to figure out _why _he had been so angry with JJ, or why JJ had been so angry with him.

"Reid? Is there a case?" Blake says, sounding like she just woke up.

He swallows. He feels like he's bothering her. He never felt like he was a nuisance to JJ, but probably because she was always so nice about it.

"Uh, no. I just…it's nothing, really."

"You can't sleep?" Blake asks, because it doesn't take an IQ of 187 to figure that out. Reid pauses, wondering if he should bore her with his troubles.

"No. I just butt-dialed you." It's a wonder how dumb his excuses can get, especially for a genius.

"Hah. Okay. Try not to leave your phone in your bed when you're sleeping," Blake says, and then she hangs up.

If it were JJ, Reid thought, she would have known I was lying. He suspected that Blake knew too, but was probably too tired to care. After all, they had just flown in four hours and 15 minutes ago.

Surprisingly, his phone buzzes in his hand.

"Spence, did you call?"

_Spence._

He can't stop himself from smiling, because he liked the way she said his name.

"It was an accident."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were planning to call Blake." JJ replies, too quickly, her words sharp, harsh and she wasn't hiding her bitterness either.

"JayJay," Reid says, begging, almost.

"Go back to sleep, Spence."

And then JJ hangs up.

Reid settles back into his bed, looks at the clock.

5:12:16.

He pops two little pills and eases himself back into sleep.

On the other side of town, JJ wakes up.

"Hey, what's up?" Will whispers into her ear.

"I can't sleep," JJ says, kissing his forehead, "I'm going to watch T.V."

Will nods and falls back into sleep.

JJ climbs out of bed and turns on the T.V.

Her eyes move with the pictures on the screen, but she's not really watching.

She plays with the wedding ring on her finger. She was more than happy with Will, but things with Spence didn't seem the same after the wedding.

She knew Spence didn't like her in _that _way.

So what the hell happened?

**hello:) read and review please :D :D i mean you already read it so why not review too :D :D heehee and let me know if i should continue :)**


	2. 1

"Blake and Reid, you guys take the back, JJ and Morgan take the front, Rossi and I will get the guys to secure the property." Hotch said.

Reid lets his mind slip back for a few seconds.

It always used to be JJ and Reid, Morgan and Emily, Rossi and Hotch.

"Reid!"

He blinks back and focuses his aim, chasing as silently, which was not very silent, but it was good enough for someone as clumsy as him.

For now, he didn't need to think of JJ, and much less Emily.

Reid gets his gun ready on the window ledge, adjusts it, so the minute he pulled the trigger, a bullet will go through the head of the unsub. But then again, he thought, with his shooting accuracy and the unsub's movements, he'll be lucky if he hit anything.

JJ enters, sets her gun down and Reid relaxes himself for just a bit.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have.

But then again, JJ was a smooth talker and since she's already talking to the unsub, the chance of something going wrong was a mere 1.1 percent.

Reid would later kick himself for loosening the grip on his gun. He knew that he was already at the losing end since he couldn't hear the conversation; all he had was the unsub's facial expressions to work with. He should have kept focus.

He grunts. He didn't like it when he couldn't hear the conversation. It made him feel unprepared. Usually he was meticulous and would do his best to eliminate whatever leverage the unsub had. But recently he's been losing focus, and as he was adjusting his position to avoid leg cramps, he sure as hell heard the gunshot that rang through the neighborhood.

He barely caught the sight of JJ falling before he was able to process what happened. He was supposed to shoot the unsub the minute he raised his gun, but he slipped, and he was the only one with a clear shot.

Three more gunshots rang in his ear.

"Damn it Morgan, that's enough." Hotch shouts, shoving past the agent.

Morgan looks across the room to the window where Reid was standing. Reid knew that even though Morgan would never say it, he thought that Reid was at blame.

And for once, Reid didn't disagree with him.

**hello:) bahaha this is barely a few lines ok im sorry im scared to screw the story up GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. give me a while to deal with myself Haha and comments please **


	3. 2

Will drove Henry down to the hospital even though it was 11 at night by the time JJ was allowed out of the accident and emergency ward. It wasn't anything too serious, just a shot to top right shoulder; it just made her wince every time she moved her arm.

Will wasn't panicking or immensely worried, since he knew his wife was one hell of a badass and she would be okay. Henry, on the other hand had demanded and even threatened to make a ruckus if he wasn't brought to his mother, so Will conceded. Anyhow, it was only an hour and a half's drive up state and it was a Friday night. He suspected that Henry just wanted to see the BAU, since he idolized them, secretly.

Reid, on the other hand, was crouched in a corner, avoiding everyone's eyes, even after the doctor said JJ was okay. He still shouldered most of the blame, since the unsub had aimed with the intention to wound, not kill.

"Hey!" Henry said, crashing into the team. The unit adored Henry, so Will left his over-energized son to mingle with the adults while he went to sit next to Reid.

"What's up with you? You're usually all over Henry."

"I am sorry, Will. It's my fault. I should have shot the unsub."

"Reid, there's always a chance of something wrong happening. I mean, you play with actual guns long enough, someone's going to get hurt."

"Yes, but the chances of her getting injured is 1.1 percent – 1.12 now – and… don't you wonder why it couldn't have been someone else?"

Will sighed. He may not be a _Special Agent _like them, but he was a detective all the same, and he had his fair share of psychopaths in New Orleans. Too many times he had seen his father wash down scotch like it was water because his partner just died on the operating table.

"Kid, there's always going to be that one percent – okay, 1.12 percent – chance when you're in this kind of job. My gut tells me this is less about JJ and more about your fear that you're a lousy agent. You're not that hard to read, kid – especially after how things have played out recently."

Will and Reid weren't exactly the best of pals, but they were on friendly terms, and this was the first time they exchanged that many words at one go. That wasn't the point though, Reid thought, the point was that Will hit the nail on the head. Even Reid himself couldn't grasp the feeling, but the way that Will phrased it made it evident.

"Hey y'all," JJ said as the doctor pushed her out in a wheelchair.

"MOMMY!" Henry yelled, colliding headfirst into JJ.

JJ was obviously surprised and even annoyed to see her 4 year old here since he should be sound asleep at home, but that meant that Will was here too, and she really wanted to see him.

"Hey you," Will said, smirking ever so slightly.

JJ lit up when she saw Will, and she broke into a wide grin. Even though the only words that were exchanged were 'Hey you', everyone in the BAU could see that JJ and Will were, as mushy as it sounds, made for each other.

"Why," Will said sarcastically, motioning to the wheelchair, "do you need this? Did you get shot in your leg?"

JJ laughed, got up on her feet and gave Will a shove, but he merely wrapped his arms around her and even though he told himself he wasn't worried, there was still a part of him that was afraid of losing her every day.

"Thank god you're okay," he whispers, because Will didn't want the BAU to think he was a pussy/touchy-feely/emotional guy.

After the necessary fussing around and what not, Will offered to give Reid a ride home, since Hotch's car didn't have any more space and the private jet was (for once) under maintenance.

Henry fell asleep the minute Will started the engine, which made the atmosphere in the car even more awkward.

"I'm sorry."

JJ turns back and smiles at Reid.

"It's okay, Spence."

Will knew that JJ was lying. She had been lying so that she didn't need to have this big blow up with Reid that would drive both of them crazy and probably sent Reid into depression again.

The last time they had a really bad quarrel was when JJ lied about Emily's death. It took them ages to make up and even longer before they got back to normal, chummy terms and then Emily left and Doctor Alex Blake came.

"It's not about you getting injured. It's about-"

JJ cut Reid off before he could say anything else.

"Yeah. We're good, Spence."

Will knew that JJ's inside was hurting more than her outside – but what killed him was the fact that he could do nothing to make her feel better.

**HELLO please let me know your thoughts and also the next update might take a few days im kinda stuck with the storyline.**


	4. 3

The nights following the accident were restless, and Will knew that until that big inevitable blow up came, the two of them will never really be 'okay'.

The fourth night in a row that JJ woke up in the middle of the night, Will pulled himself out of his 'sleep mode' and crawled to the kitchen.

"Will, go back to sleep," JJ said, pouring herself a glass of wine.

Will stops her by grasping her hand and setting the bottle back down on the counter. He snaked his arms around her waist she leans comfortably into him.

"I usually wait for you to talk, but I'm getting a little impatient," Will says quietly, stifling a yawn.

"It can wait till morning, can it?"

"No, not really, no."

Will backs off JJ and grabs a bar stool.

"C'mon. Spill it, Agent Jareau."

"Will, I don't think you'll understand. It's not that I don't trust you—"

"All right. All right. I'll back off. Just tell me if there's anything – anything at all – that I can do to make you slightly happier."

JJ smiles – maybe it was because he was so adorable; maybe it was because he cared so much; or maybe it was simply because she loved him.

"Nah. I have to figure this out by myself."

"Okay, but for the record, I think you should talk to Reid."

With that, Will leaves JJ in the brightly lit kitchen – alone. JJ picks up her phone, plays with it for a while before she sets it back on the table.

Forget it, she thinks.

Three hundred and fifty eight miles up state, Reid was sitting in the conference room, scratching his head. He's plotting the map – it should make sense – but it doesn't. For once in a long while, he can't see the pattern. What is the connection? There isn't a connection…

Annoyed, he flings his pencil against the corkboard, only to have it bounce back and hit his leg, before rolling to Morgan's feet.

"Hey Kid. What's up with you man?"

Reid shakes his head.

"I don't understand."

Morgan scrutinizes the map, and a tiny part of Reid snubs him for even trying. If I can't get it, Reid thinks, obviously Morgan can't get it.

"Do you have a string?" Morgan asked.

15 minutes later, Morgan steps back and reveals his masterpiece.

"It's string art! You follow the first location to the second location to the third location and so on…"

Reid pauses, analyses the corkboard.

"It's a star in a circle – a sign of Satan!"

Reid kicked himself for not getting the pattern. He grabbed the French curve rulers and plotted out the next location the killer was going to kidnap his victim from.

"Good work," Hotch says sternly before splitting the group up to patrol the area.

"Blake, why couldn't I solve the puzzle?" Reid asked, once he strapped his seatbelt.

"Give yourself a break! There's a reason this is a team," Alex says, paying more attention to the roads and dark alleys.

"Yes, but it was child's play."

Blake snorts. "Okay, genius. Maybe you just weren't focusing. Or maybe you were thinking too much."

Reid considers the two reasons and grabs a marker, scribbling something down on his right arm.

"In case I forget," Reid says, rolling down his sleeve and covering whatever he wrote. Alex Blake was considered 'new' to the team, but she had pretty much gotten used to Reid's… eccentric-ness.

Two days later, Reid would examine the chain of causality very closely, but for now, it was quite simple.

Reid wasn't looking when he rolled down his sleeve.

If he had looked out his window at that traffic junction like he was supposed to, he would have saw the man in the midnight blue car next to him.

He would have seen the car plate number when it overtook them.

He would have noticed the car plate number was exactly the same as the one witnesses gave.

He would have noticed the driver had a nasty scar on the right side of his face and he would have remembered the caricature that the police sketch artist drew.

Spencer Reid would have noticed a lot of things if he had simply done what he was supposed to do at that time, instead of thinking about someone else.

He would have drawn his gun, shot through the glass windows of the two cars and kill the murderer before he even knew what happened.

But he did not.

And the killer had noticed the brown haired man dressed in a red vest and a white shirt.

He noticed that the man appeared on the T.V., holding a sketch of him and talking about him as if he knew anything.

And so he leaned over to the back seat, stretched his fingers and got his gun, then sped up the minute the lights turned green.

He left his foot on the gas pedal, since the road was empty, turned back and aimed.

Alex Blake barely grasped the situation before a loud screeching sound was heard and all that was left of the blue car was a cloud of thick smoke.

_Ambulance needed IMMEDIATELY, officer down._

**hello:) my grammar is ew but bear with me. :) just a question: do you want reid to die?**


	5. 4

"JJ, I know it's the middle of the night, but I need you to get Garcia and come down here," Aaron Hotchner said, "with the private jet."

JJ froze for a second. She was on leave because of her shoulder – what could be so urgent that –

"Reid's roughed up and it's bad."

JJ leaped up from her bed, startling Will, grabbed her coat and darted out of the room. She slammed the phone shut, paused, then ran back into the room, kissed Will on the forehead and promised to call him on the way.

Will lifted his arms in confusion and JJ gives him an apologetic look before stalking off.

Garcia was just shutting down her computer when JJ burst through her door and yelled at her to grab her things. Never once had JJ been that frazzled, so Garcia decided to trust her and follow her down the hallway.

Once they were on the plane, JJ explained to her exactly what happened – well, not exactly but whatever JJ understood.

Back in Quantico, Will waited, and waited, and waited, but JJ never called.

When JJ and Garcia arrived at the hospital, they could already feel what happened.

"Spence…?"

Hotch shows a complete lack of emotion, which makes JJ suspect something's up, but she decides not to look too deep into it. His stern exterior was just something he had grown into.

"Do you want to see the…"

Garcia shakes her head and leans on Morgan for support, but JJ nods, violently, almost hoping that she could do something – that she was not powerless. JJ even suspects that Hotch was lying again, just like he did with Emily.

They follow men dressed in white coats and blue surgical masks into metal rooms that were too clean and too bright, and then she sees Reid, lying on a metal tray, nothing hooked on to him, just as if…he was sleeping.

She takes his right hand, only to see a row of words on his arm – _Apologize to Jennifer._

And she freezes, her breath caught in her throat. What if she had called and told him they could talk when he comes back? What if she had said something more than just 'We're good' on the way home just a few days ago? What if she had cared a little bit more?

"He got shot in the chest, but he wasn't wearing his vest," Hotch says quietly.

His brown hair seemed golden now, under the intrusive white light.

"Right." JJ says, swallowing her tears.

JJ stares at him a while longer, before Hotch insists they need to leave.

JJ could have sworn she saw Spence's chest rise and fall ever so slightly, but she knows that it was nothing but a hallucination.

**Hello yall how's your day:) anyhow how yall like the story so far any comments! REVIEW:) heehee and have an amazing week :)**


	6. 5

A tall, skinny man knocked on Apartment 2B just before it struck 6am.

He was carrying nothing but a wallet that only had cash in it.

The door opened eighteen seconds after he knocked.

"Well, well, well, you haven't changed a bit," the woman with long brown hair, said, smirking.

"Is that a good thing?"

She shrugged and invited him in.

"Thank you, anyhow, for having me."

She ruffled his hair playfully.

"C'mon, we're family."

The man smiles at her and hangs his coat up on the wooden coat rack that sat quietly in the corner of her bare living room.

"It's good to see you, Reid." She says, hugging him tightly.

"You too, Elle."

It takes the whole team some time to mend. Reid had become such an important part of their lives that they didn't realize how different it would be when he was no longer there. They didn't realize how much they took him for granted, and you would think they did, after they "lost" Emily.

But that's the thing about humans – even those that analyze human behavior the deepest – we only learn to love something when it's no longer there.

Everyone thought that Alex would take it the hardest, but JJ did. There were no tears from her, just so much pain it radiated everywhere she went, like an inexplicable feeling of being pulled down when she was near you.

Morgan knew it was like a huge part of her died too. A huge part of him died too, but he and Reid, they ended on good terms. JJ and Reid – not so much. Garcia tried getting her to talk, but she just clammed up and wallowed in self-blame and guilt and trapped herself in a world of what-ifs. Even after the team started to move on, a big part of her continued to hurt, no matter how much she tried to hide it behind her smiles.

On top of the hurting, the members of the BAU were accompanied by armed agents wherever they went – literally. They guarded their door, their car and even stood outside the toilet – something that pissed Garcia off to no end. Even though Hotch himself was starting to get annoyed with the guards who were just doing their jobs, he couldn't bring himself to lift the ban.

Rossi and Morgan demanded Hotch to tell them the truth, since none of this happened when Emily died, but Hotch kept his mouth shut, which led Rossi to think that this wasn't just about Reid – it was about Zugzwang – The Replicator.

Hotch eventually gave in and told them yes, he _suspected_ (he knew, but if he said he knew they would be hounding him with a new set of questions) it was Zugzwang, and he couldn't risk losing anyone or even getting anyone injured.

They accepted the answer, but didn't seem much happier about it.

Back home, Will felt lost.

He knew JJ tried to smile and tried to be happy when he did things to cheer her up, but she wasn't really happy. If there's one thing he's learnt from loving her for the past decade – was to watch her eyes. They were no longer lit and behind those eyes there was so much pain.

It wasn't like Will didn't try, but every thing he tried just made him feel worse. Reid's death didn't affect him, but JJ's reaction to Reid's death did.

He tried taking her out to nice places – she refused. He brought back flowers – she left them to die. He brought back chocolates – Henry finished them. He brought back balloons and poems and gifts – she didn't open them. He begged her to sleep earlier – she ignored him and slept on the couch, her computer still on her lap. He kissed her – she merely brushed his lips.

He told her he loved her – she didn't say it back.

**hello yall. WOW yall get really anxious when someone "dies" huh. OK I HONESTLY APOLOGIZE FOR LEAVING YOU IN A BAD PLACE. Honestly i already have the rough story sketch. SO RELAX I AM NOT THE KIND TO RANDOMLY KILL CHARACTERS i love reid too honestly. all right? :) i'll address things all in good time and if i really do end up killing someone, i'll be sure to warn you beforehand ok? haha alright have a great day :)**


	7. 6

"Do you trust me?" Will asked one night, right after JJ had come home from a case. JJ nods, as if she wasn't really paying attention.

"Then tell me why you're so hung up about this. I understand why you're upset, but there's something more – something you're not telling me." Will demanded.

"I'm honestly tired, Will."

Will paused, as if to control his anger, "JJ, I'm done with you. It's been two months. I'm sick of this. I'm scared of what I'm becoming – scared of what we're becoming – but you're too caught up in Reid's death to care."

JJ sighed and pushed past him without a word.

Will flung the keys she had just set down on the table against the wall. It hit the wall with a loud thud before it clanged to the floor. JJ froze. She had never, ever seen Will throw anything before.

"I've had people I love die too. I moved on!" Will growled.

"I thought of all people you would understand, William."

"You really want to go there? You really want to play the guilt game? Well okay, did you know I'm taking anti-depressants?"

For a second, JJ turns, and she realizes just how much she has been missing out in the past 8 weeks. Standing in front of her right now was a man that loved her – a man she had neglected – a man who had cried for her love only to receive nothing in return.

"I think he's still alive, Will – and that's why I can't get over him." JJ coughs out, and for once, she isn't lying about this.

Will pauses and thinks that his wife has really gone mad.

"Are you kidding me? The whole BAU has accepted that REID IS DEAD! I'm fucking done with all your bullshit."

Will pulls out his wedding ring and throws it at JJ. It hits her stomach and she scrambles to catch it, but it had already rolled under the sofa.

"Goodbye, Jennifer."

The door slams. And JJ starts to cry.

* * *

Reid takes some time to settle into Elle's department.

If someone were to describe Elle's house as 'sparsely-furnished', it would still be an overstatement. Elle's house was empty.

There was a television and a couch – no side table, no bookshelves, no pictures, nothing. In the bedroom, there was a bed and a closet – no side table, no night light. In Reid's room, which he knew was completely empty before Hotch arranged for him to come here, there was nothing but a bed.

In the kitchen – or rather the room with a fridge and a stove, there were no pots, no pans, no plates. One red cup sat on the counter next to a kettle.

Reid had an inkling that Elle hadn't really gotten over the incident – even after half a decade.

"Is this your house?" Reid asked.

"Technically I'm renting it, but yes, I stay here. It's a new thing – minimalism." Elle says, smirking.

"This isn't a house, Elle."

Elle paused, surprised how much Reid's emotional quotient had increased since the last time she saw him.

"Less things to hide behind – easier for me to spot something out of place." Elle shrugs.

"Are you saying that you got shot in your own home because you didn't notice something 'out of place' and that's why it's your fault?"

Elle sighs. "Reid – an agent protects the people – I couldn't even protect myself."

Reid was momentarily lost for words. He couldn't find anything to tell Elle that would make her feel better. What she said was true – but there were other factors to take into account. He decides to change the subject.

"Where do I go from here? I want to go back to the BAU. It's what I've been doing my whole life."

"Reid, they're going to catch the guy that shot you, and what that happens, you can go back. It'll be 6 months tops. Don't worry, you'll get your home sweet home soon enough – for now, though, you'll accept the bed I prepared," Elle said, giving him a playful shove.

Reid suddenly felt bittersweet.

"And after I go back to the BAU, we go back to not talking?"

Elle gave a half-smile and broke eye contact with Reid. She knew he still blamed himself for not being able to help her, but it wasn't his fault – she didn't want to be helped. She looks up again, and her heart goes a little faster at how close Reid had gotten when she was looking away.

"We will keep in touch, don't worry. Hotch keeps in touch, JJ too." Elle says, turning away and stalking back to her room.

Reid stands in Elle's living room and wonders _why on Earth_ he stepped so close to Elle Greenaway.

**hello hello BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHOS REVIEWING ;) anyhow i know reidxelle is not exactly 'popular' but somehow i think they're cute together :D but anyhow this can still go both ways :D bye for now - trawling tumblr for reid x elle gifs **


	8. 7

The Replicator was getting impatient. The increased level of security meant he literally could not get close to the BAU. The joy from eradicating Spencer Reid had begun to wear off and he wanted a new rush. Even so, he knew better than to let his impatience get the better of him. Impatience meant mistakes and there was no room for mistakes here.

Finally, four months after Doctor Spencer Reid had ascended to heaven, he was ready to scare the BAU and get them on their toes before he started on his final masterpiece to end things once and for all. Now that Reid was gone, they wouldn't be able to connect the dots as easily as before and he could get to all of time in good time.

To say that the Replicator was 'creative' or 'smart' would be an understatement. He was witty and surprisingly clever and somehow he was on the winning side even though the BAU already knew how he looked like.

The way to surpass the guards was easier than you might think. One thing that world-class security guards don't check is the pizza guy, and much less, the pizza box.

"Hotch, you ordered pizza?" Morgan asked, licking his lips.

"Yay Italy!" Rossi shouted, laughing.

Hotch peeked over at the pizza box.

"I didn't order that. We can have it for dinner though, just throw it on the conference table." Hotch says, heading to the toilet.

Morgan throws the pizza box carelessly on to the conference table.

The next few seconds happened so quickly, no one really quite processed what happened.

The minute the pizza box landed on the coffee table, the homemade pipe bomb that was nestled nicely in the box exploded with a loud boom.

Shards of glass were flying everywhere and the conference table was wrecked and the only evidence of its existence, were a few wooden sticks (which were on fire). Smoke was clouding up the bullpen and Hotch was flung against the glass door – thankfully escaping with only a bruised arm and a couple of scratches.

Alex was crushed underneath a table and bits of glass had pierced through her skin, while JJ had fallen next to her, jamming her head against the end of the table and was lying in semi-consciousness.

Rossi and Morgan, being the closest to the blast, were hurt the worst. Rossi had burst one of his eardrums and was losing a dangerous amount of blood from the force at which he was flung against the wall. Morgan was literally on fire, but being unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood, he barely reacted to it.

Garcia had, upon hearing the explosion and feeling a gush of wind in her office, ran out to check on the team, only to find the people she called 'family', all half-dead.

"Garcia, call the ambulance now!" Hotch shouted, already getting to his feet and running for the fire extinguisher. Understandably, Garcia let out a high-pitched scream and scrambled for her phone while watching Hotch put out the fire.

* * *

"Hey, Will," Garcia said, pacing up and down the hospital hallway.

"Yeah?"

"Someone sent a bomb into the office."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, as if Will didn't know what to say – or maybe he had too many things to say.

"Is Jennifer okay?"

"Yeah, but uh, you should go visit her soon. She needs you, you know that right?"

Will swallowed and let out a small sigh.

"Thanks for the notice, Garcia. You take care."

And then Will hangs up.

* * *

The Replicator gloated as he watched the team crumble and burn.

What he didn't realize – a substantial mistake on his part that changed the whole ball game and left the BAU on the winning end – was that the BAU was a family. What he had done – what he thought was going to crush the BAU – did the exact opposite. It was exactly what they needed to get over Reid and a great reminder to be thankful that at least – at least Morgan, Hotch, Rossi, Alex, JJ and Garcia were alive.

Everyone, despite the bandages and crutches and broken bones, were in Morgan and Rossi's suite, just talking until the sun rose. Yes, Alex's husband and Hotch's girlfriend and JJ's son wanted to see them – to know that they were okay, but the team didn't answer any calls or even leave the room. They could have lost another member of their group today, but they hadn't – and that, alone, was good enough.

**hello:D HOWS YOUR DAY HOPE ITS GOING WELL :D if you comment/review BIG THANK YOU OK MUACCKS**

**ok sorry i know this chapter is a bit... oof but the exciting part is coming :D**

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	9. 8

When JJ arrived back home, utterly exhausted, she found the air conditioner in the living room was turned on. She told herself to tell Henry off for not switching off the air conditioner before he left for school, before collapsing on the couch and flicking on the television. The cool temperature of the room was nice – so JJ decided to let it slip.

"Hey."

JJ spun around and raised her weapon, only to set it down immediately.

"Will?"

Will didn't smile or show any sign of affection.

"Why do you think Reid is still alive?"

JJ turned the television off.

"I saw him breathe just as Hotch pushed me away. I just don't know why Hotch didn't tell me anything like the last time he did with Emily!"

Will frowned. Obviously, her answer had been less than satisfactory, but that was all she had to give.

"Maybe Hotch didn't say anything because Reid is dead?" Will said sarcastically.

JJ didn't bother to reply and simply gritted her teeth. She thought he would ask her about her scratches and wounds, but he had ignored all of that.

"If I gave you a choice, would you rather believe that Reid is still alive or have me come back?"

JJ stared at him, completely caught off guard. Never in a million years would she have expected Will to be _that _kind of guy. But then again, it was understandable – not excusable – that he would behave in such a way.

"I can't choose, Will, you know that."

Will grimaced, as if he was ashamed of what he was doing but knew it needed to be done anyway, and nodded.

"Of course. Rest well. Send Henry my love."

He picks up his car keys and leaves by the backdoor. Some part of Will hoped that JJ would say something – anything – to give him some reason to come back. He missed her and honestly all his stuff were already in her trunk, but she couldn't give him the answer he wanted – or rather needed – and there was simply nothing he could do about that. Seeing her bandaged up made his insides hurt, but he forced his legs to walk away.

JJ opened her mouth on multiple occasions, but she could never find the right words to say, despite being a pretty good hostage negotiator. She finally accepted the fact that until Reid was proven to be truly dead or alive – until all this was over – William would not be with her in this part of her life. But if she had a say in anything – she would damn well get him back and love him the way he deserved to be loved.

* * *

Elle and Reid didn't share that kind of chemistry that Elle had with Morgan.

They didn't know what the other was thinking just by assessing the situation, although they could make some pretty close guesses. They were awkward together, clunking and knocking into each other every time they were in a five feet range. They were into different things, so a common topic was hard to come by. They liked different things – she liked the beach, partying and anything that could take her mind off reality. Reid, on the other end, preferred to think and surround himself in the problem – hoping he could find a way to fix it.

Still, opposites attract.

She liked the way he was so intense. She liked the way he rattled on about statistics and things she could barely understand. She liked the way his fringe hung above his forehead. She liked the way he dressed so formally, always leaving the house in a shirt, a tie and a vest.

He liked the way her eyes widened when she heard something interesting. He liked the way she laughed. He liked how she was always so straightforward. He liked the way she refused to acknowledge the fact that underneath that steely exterior she was soft inside too. He liked the way her brown hair curled at the sides of her face.

They didn't interact much during the day. Elle had a boring office job at a boring advertising firm – nothing at all related to the police or security. Reid hung around the bookstores in town, even though most of the things they had on sale were in Spanish. On the weekends, however, Elle took him out to see the Spanish way of life – what with the bull fighting and the beaches and the dancing.

There is only so long you can go without admitting you are not interested in someone when you really are. The beginning was awkward- weird even – but as they picked up their friendship from where they left off, it became easier and easier to open up again.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Reid asked one night during dinner.

"You mean the actual commitment lovey-dovey kind of boyfriend or the hot Spanish guy whose ass I see once or twice before we go our separate ways?" Elle asked, smirking.

"The actual kind."

"Nope. Don't see the need to have one."

"Why not?"

Elle paused, wondering why Reid was asking her so many questions regarding this.

"Hey, it's a buffet of hot, sexy men out there. Why tie yourself to one?"

"Is it because it gives you something to lose?"

Elle stopped eating.

"I mean," Reid continued, realizing how unclear he had been, "you can be reckless and do whatever you want because you have nothing to lose. But if you –hypothetically speaking – had a boyfriend, you'll have something important, something you don't want to lose."

"Why is this of concern to you?" Elle asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm a busybody?" Reid stammered, not used to her staring straight at him.

"Okay. What about you? I'm sure you've have fallen in love with someone in the past 6 years of your life – otherwise that would be pretty sad." Elle joked.

"Yeah. I did. Her name was Maeve."

Elle lighted up, and Reid could see that she was genuinely surprised.

"I watched her die."

The silence hung in the air as Elle scrambled for something to say. She had absolutely nothing to say as she watched Reid resume to eat in complete silence. She felt like she should apologize, but it didn't seem to be the right thing to say. In the end, she settled for not saying anything.

Later, as she watched the news, Reid came out of his room and stood in front of her, blocking her view of the television.

"What?"

"Elle, I like you."

"Yeah, sure. I like you too, Reid." She said, chuckling.

"Okay. I just wanted to let you know before you die because I never got the chance to tell Maeve that."

"You like me?" Elle repeated, softly.

"Yeah."

"I like you too, Reid."

Reid smiles and walks back into his room because he knew the second time Elle said she liked him, she didn't mean it in a friend way.

_**Crawling tumblr made me wonder why do so many people hate elle! i like elle :) i think if she was given enough time on CM, more people will like her :D**_


	10. 9

Hotch and Jack picked up Beth on a Friday night and drove to the movie theater in town. Jack had been pestering them to let him watch Disney's new film and Hotch finally had a free night, so he came home early and surprised Jack with three tickets and 10 dollars for popcorn.

"Do you want sweet or salted popcorn, Daddy?" Jack asked, playing with the ten-dollar note.

"I'm fine with either. I'll meet you after I park the car okay?"

Jack nodded.

"Okay. See you Daddy. I love you!"

"I love you too."

Jack bounced off the car and Hotch gave a quick peck to Beth.

"Love you three, Beth."

Beth smiled and pinched his nose.

The CCTV footage that was viewed later showed a black SUV pull into an empty parking spot before driving back out 2 minutes later.

Hotch never made it to the movie.

Two hours before Hotch went missing, Blake had left the office.

James had invited her to dinner at a fancy restaurant and she was pretty excited.

She put on her pretty blue dress and got her matching black pumps and a star necklace that James had given her in the beginning of their relationship.

After 15 minutes of waiting for Blake, a waiter passed a blue box to James. He grinned, thinking Blake had sent something to apologize for being late.

He opened the box and tagged to a shining star necklace was a note that read – **Zugzwang**.

Jennifer Jareau was eating at a café, waiting for Henry to finish his preschool activities. The café was quiet – most people were working at this time. She thought about calling Will, to tell him that she wanted to see him. She didn't know what to say, and her phone was dead, but it's been a while since they've talked, so she decided to call him anyway.

She gathered whatever coins she had and headed to the payphone.

"Hello?" Will said, coughing.

"You sound sick."

"Yeah. And this is Mr-?"

"Mr. **Zugzwang**."

"WILL!" shouts.

The phone line cuts – almost as if the man on the other line had waited for JJ to scream.

Rossi was in a quiet aisle of the supermarket, analyzing the different spaghettis they had on sale. He wasn't impressed. He needed to get tonight's meal exactly right, it was Strauss after all.

He paced up and down the aisle, before deciding he would make the hour drive to the little Italian shop up state. He put back the spaghetti jar on the shelf and headed towards the checkout.

Later, when Erin Strauss arrived at David Rossi's house, she would find the door unlocked and a single spaghetti jar on the dining table with the tag – **Zugzwang's Spaghetti Sauce**.

Derek Morgan had plans to hit the gym in the afternoon, but the gym at the headquarters were surprisingly locked up, so he decided to go to his local gym instead.

After a sweaty 2-hour workout, he headed for the shower.

At 11 o clock, the cleaner was clearing out the lockers and closing up the gym, only to find a single un-cleared locker. He opened it and there was a number tagged to the bag.

The 80-year-old man called the number.

"Oh my god, thank god you called me!" a shrill voice came.

"Hello madam, I think your boyfriend left his things at the gym."

"Oh. What did he leave behind?"

"Uh, he left a black duffle bag behind. I think the brand is **Zugzwang**."

Garcia swallowed, her voice caught in her throat.

**ok i know this is a super short chapter but still. **

**ANYHOW. i watched certain prey (starring lola glaudini) and it's pretty good so go watch it online if you can :)**

**oh and reviews please:D i swear i'll find some way to put this gif on fanfiction**


	11. 10

Beth, James, Will, Erin and Garcia gathered at the BAU conference room at one o clock in the morning, utterly exhausted but unable to sleep. Garcia gave a brief introduction of The Replicator and a few suspects she thought would fit the profile.

"We suspect Alex knows him, since the cases he replicated happened only after she joined the BAU." Erin said.

"What are you implying?" James asked, raising his voice.

"She's implying that your freaking wife is the reason why the people we love could jolly well be dead!" Will growled.

Garcia flinched. Will had always been soft-spoken and nothing less than a gentleman.

James clenched his teeth, but both men knew better than to get into a fight right now.

"Uh, the computer screen is screwing up," Beth said quietly.

Garcia flew back to her computer, her hands running quickly through the keyboard, but she had no control over her system. This guy made it impossible to override anything!

The screen blanks out, then fizzes back to life.

"Hello," John Curtis says, smirking.

"This is getting exciting isn't it? I'm getting really psyched. In your inbox, you will receive an email about right now, Garcia, with 5 plane tickets to Winnipeg, Canada. The plane leaves in two hours, so you might want to get packing. I'll contact you shortly after you arrive. See you! The BAU sends their love too."

Then the screen blanks out.

The printer whirls and 5 online-checked in plane tickets stream out. Erin hands them out one by one.

"Madam, don't we need backup? We're just going to follow him?"

Erin swallowed. "We don't have a choice, Penelope. We don't have jurisdiction in Canada. Now let's get going."

* * *

The Replicator had thrown the team into a nice apartment, furnished with a kitchen, a bedroom and a living room, just missing a door. They were left unchained. He was taunting them, of course. Unchained but still unable to escape, the perfect slap on the face.

He waited until everyone in the team was conscious before he connected the webcam.

"Hello, BAU."

Alex flinched at his face.

"Why, yes, hello to you too, Alex Blake. Anyhow, I've gotten all of you here and if I'm not wrong, Erin, Garcia, James, William and what's her name – yes, Beth, are on the way here right now. Until they arrive, have fun trying to escape!"

"WAIT!" Hotch shouts.

"Yes, Aaron?"

"Not all of us are here."

"Oh yes, how silly of me. Earlier this morning, Doctor Reid received a call from one Aaron Hotchner, requesting him to meet at the BAU headquarters to get his gun and badge back. Of course, Aaron was an angel and sent him the private jet, which is on its way here right as we speak. You underestimate me."

The computer screen blanks out.

"Spence is still alive?" JJ asked, staring at Hotch.

Her eyes were accusing, angry and hurt – they both knew why he didn't tell her what really happened. He dropped his gaze.

"You didn't trust me to keep my distance from him, did you?"

Hotch swallowed guiltily.

"I'm sorry, JJ." Hotch whispers.

**is this too rushed? *sigh* i don't know. let me know what you think. **

**HAVE A GOOD DAY:)**


	12. 11

"I'm going back to the BAU," Reid said after a 15 minute phone call.

Elle smiled, but Reid couldn't tell if it was genuine. Without a word, she turned back to the television.

"Elle, I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Ah, Hotch is as efficient as ever, isn't he?" she said simply.

"What… Elle? Is that all you're going to say?" Reid demanded.

Elle switched off the television and ambled her way to the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of scotch. She really didn't want to deal with this right now. They had barely begun or even acknowledged their relationship and it was already coming to an end. She didn't want to go back to Quantico – too many bad memories. She definitely wasn't going to move all the way back to Quantico just for Reid.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, swirling her drink.

"I don't know," Reid paused, "Forget it."

"Look, if you want me to go with you, I can't do that."

For a few moments, they simply stared at each other in silence, both at a complete loss for words.

"Is there anything between us?" Reid asked tentatively.

Elle blinked back her tears, unable to respond. She couldn't bring herself to say it. She liked the way things were now. She didn't need to admit that she had feelings. He wasn't something she had a risk of losing.

"It's okay. I get it. We'll keep in touch. I need to pack." Reid said harshly, breaking eye contact.

"Reid! Don't be like that please."

"It's okay. This is settled. You'll stay here, I'll go back to Quantico, and things would be just the way they should. Be glad, you won."

"Well then, here's to winning."

Reid froze. Tiny teardrops were sliding down Elle's cheek. He still remembers to conversation where he tried to help, but he had really only made things worse. This was probably going to play out badly anyway.

"Yeah," Reid says quietly, "here's to winning."

* * *

The next morning, Reid wakes up before the sun rises and packs the last of his things. Elle had fallen asleep on the couch, so he watched her as he ate stale bread.

He decides that if he ever saw her again, he would tell her that he loved her, but then again, he didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to loving someone.

From where he was sitting, he could see the two scars on her chest and his heart breaks a little bit – he had indirectly allowed that to happen.

Just before he leaves, he kneels on the ground next to the couch, leans down and kisses her gently on her forehead. He knows she's awake, so he whispers, "I'll miss you."

Then he picks up his luggage and leaves.

* * *

The BAU didn't know how many days or nights had passed, but it seemed like they were trapped in there forever. In actual fact, less than 24 hours had passed.

The décor of the room was chosen carefully; every single detail planned in such a way that there absolutely was no way you could attribute it to coincidence. In the kitchen, there was nothing but bags and bags of Cheetos and the cabinet was lined with rows and rows of different kinds of pasta.

In the living room, a single picture hung on the wall behind the 42 inch flat screen TV – a mugshot of Carl Buford. In the bedroom, a symbol is painted behind the bed – The Eye of Providence – Foyet's signature symbol.

Resting in the closet was twenty or so shirts in the exact same size and pattern – it was the same shirt that James was wearing the last time she saw him in the exact same size and brand.

It finally hit the BAU how much they underestimated Curtis.

"Hey. Can we have a team talk?" Rossi asked nicely, only to get death stares from JJ.

"Look, there's pasta and a stove, so might as well spend some of his money."

Grudgingly, JJ sat down and the rest followed. Rossi clattered around with the pots and pans as if he was in his own home, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they were currently captured by a man who was thirsty for their blood.

"I apologize for keeping it a secret, but it was absolutely necessary for it to stay that way," the unit chief said sternly.

"But still you told Alex." JJ muttered, her voice dripping with hate.

"Look, JJ, the last time this happened I told you, not Reid, not Rossi, not even Morgan. It was his partner, and I told you. I don't need to account to you for my actions, but I need you to understand that this isn't about you. It's about the team. Do you understand?" Hotch said, not a trace of emotion on his face.

JJ pauses, then nods slowly, refusing to speak.

"So how is he doing?" Morgan asked quietly.

"He's doing fine, the last time I checked. He talks about the ex-agent a lot." Alex said, avoiding JJ's eyes.

"Ex-agent?" Rossi echoed.

"I sent him to Elle. I thought it would be good for both of them." Hotch shrugged.

"What did he say? Spence. When you told him where he was going?" JJ asked quietly.

Hotch rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was tired and he didn't really want to talk, but the bedroom wall reminded him of Haley and he didn't want to go there right now. The last time he saw Reid was so long ago, but he remembered exactly what happened.

* * *

_Reid kicked a stool over._

_"It was the Replicator, I swear it was him. A man wouldn't shoot me for no reason. He wasn't even the guy we were catching!" Reid shouts._

_"Calm down."_

_"No, I will not calm down. Hotch, he's going to try and kill us and he almost succeeded with me. I will not let him lay a finger on my family!"_

_This was unusual for Reid. I would expect something like that to come from Morgan, not him. _

_"Reid. You need to get somewhere safe, just like how Emily did okay? We'll catch him and then I'll get you back."_

_"With all due respect, you don't have the best track record when it comes to dealing with injured agents, do you? I'm staying." Reid said, unwilling to back down._

_"What are you implying?"_

_"I'm implying that you caused both Elle and Emily to leave the unit." He said, his voice softer, calmer now, but no less hateful._

_"Look, Reid, you're putting all of us in more danger. If he knows you didn't die, he's going to be even angrier. Trust me."_

_Reid pauses and thinks for a moment._

_"Fine. Can I speak to JJ then? Emily got to."_

_"I don't intend on telling them you're alive. It'll be a secret between me and Alex. You can talk to Alex, sure."_

_Reid's eyes darkened._

_"No. It's okay then. Just… if you have a chance, just tell JJ that I'm really sorry about things lately and she's… she's my best friend and I love her."_

_I nodded. Still, I knew JJ wouldn't trust that Reid was really dead unless she saw his body, so I cut Reid a deal._

_"I can arrange for her to see you one last time, but you have to pretend that you're dead and no talking to her afterwards."_

_He nods, grateful for whatever he could have._

_"So where am I going?" he asked. "No matter, really, I wouldn't make any friends either ways. Just out of curiosity."_

_"Strauss contacted Elle. The jet will take you to her. Till we meet again."_

_Reid swallows and nods._

* * *

"He said he's sorry and that you're his best friend and he loves you."

JJ tries to force back her tears, abruptly standing up and leaving the table. She stalks to the toilet and bawls her eyes out. She didn't know if she was sad because she didn't get to tell him that she loved him or if she was happy that he was still alive.

Rossi knocked on the toilet door and told JJ that the food was ready.

The last time they sat down and ate, properly, as a team, was when Elle and Gideon were still in the BAU.

"Remember when we were teasing Elle about her boyfriend?" Morgan laughed.

"Who's Elle?" Alex asked, picking at the spaghetti.

"She's the only person in the team who isn't afraid of Hotch," JJ said, smiling. For a second, she catches Hotch's eye. He smiles and she returns it. It didn't have to be said out loud, but he knew that he was, at the very least, understood.

"She's rash and bold and emotionally driven and made to catch the bad guys, really, but above all that, she was my partner." Morgan said, smiling nostalgically.

"Wish I met her." Alex said, chewing on her pasta.

"So, a bad ass. Just my type. Think she'll be interested?" Rossi joked.

"Not in a million years, Dave, but keep trying." Hotch teased.

Rossi mimicked stabbing his own chest.

"Thanks for this, though." Morgan said, motioning to the food.

"No problem. It's always a pleasure to cook for family."

**yay they are back together yababa. so hard to write when there are so many characters. grr. anyhow, review please :)**

**omg this is such a long chapter**


	13. 12

The Replicator watched them through the security camera slightly annoyed. Why didn't his plan to break them into two sides work? Still, things were going rather smoothly. Doctor Spencer Reid was already in chains in the main hall. He typed instructions into a machine and before the BAU realized a quiet hissing sound coming from the air vent, they were unconscious.

The next time they woke up, they were in a huge room. By Morgan's estimation, the ceiling was nearly 5 metres high and the walls were all made of glass. If you looked out, there was nothing but rows and rows of trees. If you didn't look closely enough, it was as if you could just leapt out into a forest.

The five of them were chained on to a metal bar on one side of the room. Across the room, Reid was chained to another metal bar. He was still snoozing away, and Hotch admired how good John Curtis was. He managed to surpass all the security and get to Reid. Jesus.

That wasn't all. 5 motionless bodies were tied with thick ropes and hung on the ceiling. It was a sophisticated pulley system that seemed to be controlled by a complicated machine.

"Oh God, is that James?" Alex mumbled, squinting at the ceiling.

"Calm down," Hotch said, though his own heart was beating faster than it should. He didn't need to look up to know that Beth was there.

"JayJay," someone called from above.

JJ tilted her head up to see Will covered in blood.

"Me and James, we tried to fight back, but…" Will trailed off, taking in deep breaths of air. "You were right. I'm sorry. Reid's alive."

"Are _you _okay?"

"I love you," Will shouted down, because he did and he was afraid at the rate the blood was flowing out of him, he might not have a chance to tell her that again.

"I love you too."

Will smiled, even though JJ couldn't see it. He had been a class A jerk to the woman he loved, but it was okay. She loved him and he loved her, and that was all that mattered. Even if he died now, he was happy. At the very least, Will thought, he had a chance to experience what true loved felt like. If they got out here alive, he would damn well apologize to her and beg her to take him back.

"Aaron!"

"Beth, I'm going to get you out of here alive, don't worry. Trust me."

"Damn it, Hotch, how the hell do you think we're going to get out of here? Everyone that could possibly save us is chained up!" Morgan growled.

"Agent Morgan, please calm down!" Erin's stern voice came from above.

"Are we all just ignoring the fact that Reid is there?" Rossi asked, the calmest of them all.

Everyone paused and took a breather. Yes, Reid was right there, dressed in his vest and tie and brown pants.

"Spence!"

Reid stirred, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"I thought I'm supposed to be at the BAU?" he asked, completely unaware of his surroundings.

"I didn't call you, Reid. Curtis did." Hotch said before explaining what happened to Reid.

Curtis waited for everyone to regain consciousness. It thrilled him that he was in utter control of a very skilled team that was trained to catch people like him. Just as Reid started to grasp hold of his surroundings, the ground started to vibrate and a man rose up from under the floor, smirking.

_Narcissist. Makes a big entrance to show off._

Rossi profiles him silently.

"So, how y'all feeling today?" he asked, as if the whole team was just chilling in a garden having a picnic or something.

"The weather's great today huh!" Morgan shouted angrily, lunging forward towards him, only to scratch against the handcuffs and cut himself.

"I agree, Derek. So, let's a play a game, shall we? The rules are simple, almost as if I'm letting you win."

_Cocky, arrogant, highly egoistic. _

"I'll unchain you, one at a time, of course, and we'll compete in a game of my choice. If you win, I'll lower one person a few inches. If you lose, I'll raise one person a few inches. If I win three in a row, I get to pick one person up there to drop completely. If she's lowered, she has a chance of surviving. Once she goes higher than 3 meters, well then, it doesn't look too good does it? Oh, and once everyone up there falls to their death, our dear little supposedly dead friend, Doctor Spencer Reid, will play for your lives. Sound good? Who wants to go first?"

"You sick son of a bitch," Rossi spat.

"Okay, and we have our first volunteer."

He strolls so casually towards Rossi, mocking them almost. He lifts his gun at Rossi's head then unchains him. Even Morgan didn't dare lunge out at him, for fear that he might hurt Rossi.

"You're a former Marine right? Trained to protect the country and save lives. Honorable indeed."

With one hand, he presses a button, allowing a giant water tank (separated into two sides) to rise from below. He instructs Rossi to climb in before jumping into the water on the other side.

"Let's see who can drag that mannequin up first."

_This, _Rossi thinks, _is too easy. There's something he's not telling me._


	14. 13

**"1, 2, 3, Go."**

Rossi took a deep breath and dived in, grabbing the hand of the mannequin and tugging at it. It didn't move an inch. He swam deeper, running out of breath. In the other tank, Curtis had already lifted up his mannequin and was swimming to the surface.

David thrashed around in the water, unable to lift the mannequin. Meanwhile, the rest in the room was in complete silence.

**"End. I win!"**

Rossi swam up, gasping for breath.

"Looks like your performance is a little rock-y isn't it?" he said, laughing at his own pun.

_Right,_ Rossi thought, _he filled my mannequin with rocks. _

Rossi lifted himself out of the tank, climbing quickly out of the tank. Sprinting, he figured if he could knock the stairs that led up to Curtis's tank, he wouldn't be able to come out.

It seemed like a solid plan.

Except he forgot that Curtis had a gun that was waterproof.

The shot was direct, aiming to wound, not kill.

The BAU watched as Rossi was thrown backwards from the force of the shot. It hit his stomach and the sound of the bullet case clinking to the ground rang in the room.

"Don't even think about it," Curtis said, strolling down the movable staircase, his gun still fixed at Rossi.

He chained Rossi back up as the tank started disappearing underground again.

Technically, Erin was supposed to be lifted up, but Curtis let her down slowly, smirking.

"You old hag. I usually play by the rules, but you don't, so why should I?" he said, stopping the pulley just as Erin's toes grazed the floor.

Without so much as blinking, Curtis raised his gun and knocked Erin in the head with the butt of the gun, sending her into a state of unconsciousness.

Rossi flinched and looked away as her body went limp.

"Well, now that's settled," Curtis said, winding up the ropes and sending Erin back up again.

**"Who's next?"**

**agagag sorry for the really short chapter but i'll update really soon xD**


	15. 14

"John," Hotch said, "why are you doing this?"

"Because," Curtis said, rolling his eyes exasperatingly, "the position at the BAU is supposed to be mine!"

"You do know you were considered for the position right?" Hotch says as Curtis strolled nearer towards him.

Curtis's eyes flash for a moment, almost as if he was surprised, before he masked his emotion with indifference.

"You didn't get it because your profiles and previous cases show that you didn't know how to work as a team." Hotch said, as Curtis unchained him.

Curtis was slightly distracted, and Hotch had the element of surprise, lunging out at Curtis the second his hands came free, knocking both of them down to the floor. Hotch reached for the gun, only to have Curtis kick it all the way to the other side of the room.

Curtis aimed a kicked towards Hotch stomach and the two men exchanged punches that left one with a bleeding nose and the other with a bleeding lip. Hotch struggles to stand and sprints towards the gun, diving for it and aiming it at a running Curtis.

He fires once, twice, thrice and sends Curtis flying backwards. He falls for only a second before charging at Hotch again. He knew the bullets in his gun had run out and he was thankful, for once, he didn't load the gun fully.

Curtis knocks the gun out of Hotch's hands and slams it on his head. The team could only watch as Hotch slumped to the ground.

"AARON!"

"Shut up, bitch, otherwise I'll shoot you," Curtis screamed at Beth.

He was in a foul mood. His stomach was hurting like hell. He heaved the heavy chief back to the handcuffs and tied him up, his blood leaving a trail behind him. He took a breather and dressed his wounds, cursing under his breath.

Thank god he was only shot in the stomach.

Just as he was loading his gun, the floor started to rumble and split. Two women, one dressed in a suit and the other dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans rose up, both their guns raised.

Immediately, he raised his gun and fired, only to miss miserably. His hands fumbling, he grabbed a handful of bullets and sprinted behind the metal closet, desperately trying to fit the bullet into the gun. Who on earth were these people?

"You unchain them, I'll go get him."

The woman dressed in the suit raced for the keys on the table and rushed towards the team, unlocking their handcuffs before they tried to work the pulley system.

"Don't even think about it."

Curtis flinched as he felt a gun nudge into the back of his head.

"Put your gun down and kick it aside, otherwise I'll shoot you, asshole."

Curtis growled. How dare she call him an asshole!

He turned around and fired blindly for a second before one shot from the woman went straight through his brain and he collapsed, eyes rolling to the side, dead.

* * *

Elle stumbled out from behind the metal closet, holding on to it for support.

"Elle!" Reid shouted, sprinting towards her to catch her as she fell.

The blood stain on her white shirt was growing bigger and bigger and Reid could do nothing as he watched the life running out of her.

"Please, just stay strong for a while, Emily says the backup will be here in ten minutes." Reid whispered, tears running down his cheeks. He reached to touch her wound.

"Don't touch me," Elle choked out. Some part of her brain was telling her someone was going to take her blood and use it to write some creepy shit on the wall.

"Don't die," Reid said quietly, his tears dripping on her face.

"Well, I'll try my best not to," Elle said sarcastically, her breaths getting shorter and more frequent.

Morgan moved Reid aside, tearing apart Elle's shirt and applying pressure to her wound using his own shirt to stop the bleeding.

"Pretty boy, I know you're feeling sad right now, but you better stop those tears and get me some kind of mini plier or something to extract these damned bullets out of Elle if you want her to live." Morgan said, sweating profusely.

Emily worked at Rossi's bullet wound, wrapping her jacket around it to stop it from bleeding. Damned it, she thought, this wasn't the kind of family reunion she wanted.


	16. 15

_Hours ago, in Paris's HQ…_

"Hi, I'm Emily."

"Yeah, hi, I'm Elle," Elle said, eyeing the agent.

"I assume you got the call from Garcia?"

"Yeah, I did. She asked me to come down here to help you. So you ready to kick some ass?" Elle said, smirking.

"Yeah!" Emily was pretty apprehensive of Elle, but she seemed pretty cool.

They took a train up to Winnipeg and traced the device that Garcia had planted on herself. They drove for a bit and got to know each other, before they had to dump the car and trek through wild grass half their height.

"You know, this is the bloody reason I left the BAU in the first place, so I wouldn't get kidnapped and die in some stupid forest," Elle whispered as they got nearer and nearer to the red blinking dot on Emily's smartphone.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. I got knocked up pretty bad once," Emily said as they reached a metal door.

"What they do to you?" Elle asked as Emily fiddled with the lock.

"Had a stick rammed through me."

"Move aside, I've got this." Elle said, taking a hairpin from the top of her head and sticking it into the lock.

"Eh, I don't think picking locks is going to work. He probably has high security on this thing." Emily said, her eyebrows creasing.

"Relax. He isn't expecting us. Overconfidence is my best friend," Elle said just as the door unlocked with a soft click.

They raised their guns and entered cautiously.

"Clear. He isn't here."

"But we're right on the red dot," Elle said, slightly thrown off track.

"That means he's either above or below us. We better get some system working." Emily said, shining a torchlight at the rows and rows of buttons. Thankfully, he labeled every single one.

"Hey, watch this," Elle said, pointing to a whole set of security cameras.

In the fuzzy screen labeled '1', they saw Curtis chaining Hotch back on to some railing or something. He seemed rather dead, but he was probably alive since there was no point really chaining up a dead person.

"Damn." Emily cursed, heading back to the row of buttons. Still, there was no button labeled '1', unlike all the other security screens, which had corresponding buttons.

"While we're looking around, what happened to you?"

Elle grimaced.

"Nothing I want to remember."

Emily nodded, realizing she had maybe pushed a little too deep.

"I hear our resident genius stayed with you. How was it?" Emily said, scoping out the place.

"He's something else, isn't he?"

"So you like him?"

Elle smirked cheekily.

"He's cute. I'll give him that. I don't know. I mean, you know our job doesn't exactly allow us to have relationships. I kind of took pride in the fact that I had nothing to lose. I had one-night stands with hot Spanish guys and that was that. But Spencer…well… he taught me that having something to lose is not a weakness. It's a strength, actually, to have something worth fighting for."

"Eh. I just think you look cute together." Emily joked.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get them out of here." Elle said, laughing it off.

They checked through every inch of the wall and there was absolutely no button that was labeled '1'. Elle sighed and crossed the room, only to hear a soft click and a quiet whirr of the machinery as it came to life.

Emily looked at the floor.

"Holy— you found '1'." Emily said, pushing aside Elle's foot.

"Hurry, get on. I have a feeling that this guy is crazy," Elle said, helping Emily up the slowly rising platform.

"Load your gun."

"Game on."

**i know the last chap was a little rushed, but i thought of doing a flashback instead of just chronological order. yuup. hope yall enjoy it and really thank you for reading. every single one of your reviews make me smile :)**


	17. 16

JJ waited nervously, pacing up and down the hallway. The nanny had brought Henry and Jack down at her request and she had broken down when she saw Henry, smiling brightly, absolutely oblivious to what had happened and how close he had been to being an orphan.

On the other side of the hospital, Jack had fallen asleep on Beth's lap as they waited for Hotch to be released from the emergency room. He was fine – suffering only minor concussions, but they had to bandage his bleeding head.

Emily stayed with Rossi and watched Strauss from outside the ward. She was still unconscious, but her condition was stable. Rossi had a bullet wound, but it was nothing he couldn't shake off.

Alex and James were huddled in a corner, holding on to each other as tight as they could. Thankfully, they only suffered a couple of scratches and bruises, but the experience was traumatizing all the same.

* * *

Morgan's wrists were still bleeding from the cuts because of the handcuffs. Physically, he was fine. Mentally, however, he was rather shaken up. Elle was in the surgery room and his arms were still stained with her blood.

_Couldn't save her the first time. Couldn't save Emily either. Now, dear god, please let her live. Maybe I'm just a jinx to my partners._

Morgan blamed himself quietly as Reid sat in a corner, huddled up with Garcia.

"Hey, she's going to be fine. She's a fighter." Garcia said.

"If I was paying attention that night, if I had taken a shot, none of this would have happened. She's already bent, Garcia. If this doesn't break her, nothing will." Reid whispers, his head all over the place.

Morgana slammed his fist against the wall.

"Damned it, Reid. It's not your fault. It's me."

"Guys, the lights off." Garcia said, pointing at the previously lit sign.

The doctors wheeled Elle out and she was, surprisingly, very conscious.

"This one's your family?"

Morgan nodded.

"She's a pain in the ass." The doctor said before leaving the wheelchair in the hallway.

"He's a pervert! The bullet was far from my damned bra and he insisted on removing it! It's not my fault I slapped him. What a dickhead," Elle shouted whilst pushing herself to her feet.

"Elle Greenaway, you have no idea how much I love you." Morgan said, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her as tight as he could.

"God damned it, I can't breathe." Elle said jokingly, giving Morgan a quick peck on the cheek. She had forgotten how much she loved him too.

"Hey." Reid said, waving awkwardly.

"C'mon, let's go get some coffee, babygirl. Leave them to talk," Morgan said, wrapping his arm around Garcia's waist and pulling her away.

"Hey." Elle said, all her sassiness disappearing.

He gave his signature smirk and stared silently at her. His gawkiness made her smile a little.

"So, I was thinking, maybe I can apply for a job nearer to you…" Reid started, mumbling on for a few seconds.

"You'll do that for me?"

"Yeah. Is that okay with you?" Reid asked cautiously.

"No, no. You belong here. I'll move back." Elle said slowly, the ends of her mouth curving into a smile. "Also, the last time you saved me. Now I've saved your pretty face, so we're even."

Reid smirked.

Elle paused for a second then leaned forward and kissed Reid gently, on the lips. His heart was racing way above the recommended levels so thank god he was in a hospital.

She suspects it's the first time he's kissed anyone properly. He blushes and his ears turn red as she pulled back.

"I think I love you." Reid said, turning even redder.

Elle chuckled.

"Yeah. I think I love you too."

* * *

Hotch smiled the second he saw Beth.

"Hey. I have a question."

"Wow, Aaron, that's nice. The first thing you say when you see me after you nearly died is 'Hey I have a question.'"

"Will you marry me?"

Beth's voice caught in her throat.

"What?"

"I'm asking you to marry me. It's been sometime since Haley's gone and I'm done crying myself to sleep thinking about her. I need to move on. I love you."

"Yeah."

"Yeah what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'll marry you."

* * *

"JJ."

Will called, stepping out of the emergency room.

JJ stirred slightly in her sleep.

"JJ."

She opened her eyes, only to see Will crouched in front of her, smiling.

Her lips flew to his as he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just listen for a minute. I need to apologize to you. I don't know why I left or why I even thought you and Reid had something going on. I'm crazy, I am. I'm a freaking lunatic and a giant asshole and I'm so terribly sorry. I don't tell you enough how much I love you, I don't. I need you to know that you are amazing, you are beautiful, you're the mother of my child and most important, when I see you, my legs go slightly weak and every night I thank god for letting me have you. And I know you're angry but please, I'm begging you, let me come back and make it up to you. I love you, so much."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I love you too," she said, kissing his forehead.

**hello:D wow wow this story is like the longest story i've ever written. anyhow thank you all who are reading 3 much love. review please? and the next chapter is probably going to be the last or second last so let me know what you'll like to happen :D**


	18. Epilogue

JJ approached Reid hesitantly. She didn't know what to say. Their little, unspoken war seemed so insignificant now, compared to the magnitude of things.

"JJ," Reid said, smiling.

"Hey Spence."

"So, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I mean, there was this small little point in time where I liked you. A lot. Then you met Will and the two of you just looked so perfect and I was really angry because we never had chemistry like that. And you were so pretty with your big eyes and blonde hair and the way you called me Spence…I felt slightly jealous. So I guess Alex was my way of getting back at you. But now I realize that what we have is platonic, but equally strong and I hope we can still be friends."

JJ bit her lip nervously.

"Spence, I know it sucked a lot and I'm really sorry I didn't talk to you about it properly…and then Maeve happened and we just talked less and less and I guess I was jealous too. You deserve a lot better and I was a lousy friend to you when you needed me the most. So yeah, if you are willing to take me back, we're definitely friends."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I have a question I need your help with though," Reid said. "Elle's great. She's funny, she's pretty and she's so strong even after everything that has happened. But what if I'm not good enough for her? She's already been through so much and she deserves someone who can take care of her properly, but I can barely get myself fixed properly. And I'm really scared, because I like her, a lot."

JJ looks across at Elle who was throwing her head back and laughing like a crazy woman.

"I can't help you with that, but one thing I do know is that your babies will be smart and gorgeous." JJ smirked, giving him a slight push towards her.

* * *

A year later, Hotch's wedding was a simple affair at (once again) David Rossi's house. They finally had a weekend where the team (and Emily in her Paris office) was not busy chasing down monsters.

"We're taught that good triumphs evil, but our jobs have always said otherwise. But nights like this give me a little bit of faith that good things happen to good people too." Morgan said to JJ.

JJ nodded, smiling softly. She remembered the last time she was here, she had uttered the two most important words a woman could ever say to a man who loved her.

The vows were sweet, simple and beautiful. It was surprising to see Hotch capable of such emotion. All in all, an amazing occasion and a well needed break from their jobs.

As everyone started heading home, Elle pushed past JJ and sprinted for the toilet.

"Oh Elle! I have something for you!" JJ shouted. She hadn't seen Elle for the whole event – only occasional glimpses.

After half an hour, Elle still had not emerged from the toilet. JJ knocked cautiously. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Elle said, opening the door, smiling. "I'm just a little tipsy. Can you drive me home?"

"Oh, Reid's still here! I just needed to pass you something."

"No, JJ, can you please drive me home? Get Will to drive him back home first."

JJ blinked. "Oh."

After a few hushed words with Reid and Will, the two men left and JJ drove Elle to the 24-hour diner that was literally empty since it was 3 in the morning.

"You said you wanted to give me something?" Elle said, sipping her hot tea.

"Here. We want you back." JJ said, pushing a badge and identity card to Elle. "If you want."

"Wow. Really?" she asked, slightly taken aback. "Of course!"

JJ nodded and smiled, pushing her blonde locks behind her ear.

"So do you want to talk?" JJ asked softly.

Elle's smile faded away and JJ watched her tired brown eyes drop slightly.

JJ stood up and shifted seats so that she was sitting next to Elle. Her hands reached to wipe the tears that Elle didn't even know she had shed as she let Elle cry into her shoulder.

"I'm knocked up." Elle whispered.

JJ pauses, takes in what she just heard and raises her eyebrows.

"And this is bad thing?"

"I'm not ready and Spencer is a great guy, but for lord's sake we have no idea how to take care of a living thing! And if I tell him, he'll guilt me into keeping it but if I don't tell him, what if he finds out?"

JJ swallowed. Elle was not wrong.

For once, the hostage negotiator had no words to say. Worst, she was trying to save a hostage that wasn't even born yet.

**hello:D so this story has finally ended (on a cliffhanger hurhur) and wow wow 8000 views :') i am very touched 3 so i was thinking of writing a elle/reid centric part 2 of the story but im rather busy right now so it's probably going to take awhile. but to everyone who has read all 18 chapters, really thank you VERY MUCH. :):) leave a review and let me know if you want me to continue haha :)**


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